


As It Should Be

by annachibi



Category: Victoria (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Minor Injuries, Unrequited Love, Vicbourne, pain transfer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2016-11-02
Packaged: 2018-08-28 13:40:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8448139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annachibi/pseuds/annachibi
Summary: Vicbourne soulmate AU prompt - the one where you can transfer any injuries/pain your soulmate has onto yourself (requested by theblackwook)





	

Knowing who your soulmate is isn’t always helpful or even a good thing. There are many different circumstances that cause people to think so. William Melbourne had the odds stacked against him from the beginning. He loved Caroline despite the fact that they were not soulmates. They were happy for a time, but eventually he learned that it was possible to feel someone’s pain to a certain extent even if they weren’t your soulmate, if you cared about them enough. You just couldn’t necessarily do anything about it. He thought that was worse than being able to take it upon yourself. Perhaps if he hadn’t married her, she wouldn’t have wasted away from drinking to numb herself. Perhaps if he hadn’t married her, he wouldn’t have felt as if he’d died with her. The best thing to come of their marriage was their son, but even he did not live long.

When he met Victoria, he wondered if they were soulmates. Whenever he was around her, he felt as if the darkness and grief that had settled over him had been lifted. And he knew he had the same kind of effect on her. In fact, it almost scared him at first, when he attempted to reassure her about her coronation speech and realized that he had, in fact, _absorbed_ her nervousness into himself when he placed his hand upon her shoulder. With his more extensive life experience, it was much easier to get rid of that feeling than it would have been for her on her own. He knew they could never marry, but he took solace in the fact that he could at least ease her pain, and perhaps she could do the same for him. Still, he wasn’t certain if the way he felt around her was because of a soulmate connection or not.

Eventually, he got his answer.

Victoria had called him to her, her note a bit vague but urgent. He arrived as soon as he could and she greeted him excitedly. He noticed as she moved to take a seat, she stepped very lightly on one foot, as if it hurt her to walk, but she was all smiles as she spoke.

“The most wonderful thing has happened! Prince Albert and I went riding this morning and after he had dismounted, his horse stepped on his toe!” she said, grinning from ear to ear, hands clasped in her lap.

“That doesn’t sound wonderful at all,” he said with a chuckle, masking the fact that his heart had leapt into his throat.

“Oh no, not that part. But when I moved to help him walk afterward, I was thinking about how I wished he hadn’t hurt his foot, and then suddenly it was _my_ foot that was hurt and not his!”

His heart sank, but he tried not to let it show on his face, attempting an encouraging smile instead. “That… is exciting news, indeed, Ma’am! Very promising for your relationship.”

“Isn’t it?” She giggled, nearly vibrating with happiness. “I’m so glad you think so. Your approval is very important to me, you know.”

He swallowed hard and stood up, going to take her hand in both of his. “No matter what happens, Ma’am, know that I will always be at your service. There is nothing I want more than your continued happiness.”

The smile on her face slipped slightly and then disappeared entirely as she felt the pain leave her foot and watched him shift his weight to one side. “Oh, Lord M,” she said softly, tears pricking in her eyes.

“It’s alright,” he replied, smiling as tears blurred his own vision. “This is as it should be.”

 

 


End file.
